


Breaking Bards

by Sternenstaub



Series: Arranged marriage AU [7]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Arguments, Arranged Marriage, Contracts, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Post-Episode: S01E06 Rare Species, Timeline What Timeline, apologizing, the mountain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:00:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27063064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sternenstaub/pseuds/Sternenstaub
Summary: Geralt pushed Jaskier away at the mountain and now has to deal with the consequences. The emotional and the political ones.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: Arranged marriage AU [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1922194
Comments: 33
Kudos: 139





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In case you didn't read the as of yet unfinished interlude, Geralt and Jaskier made up, Geralt said he needs time to work through his feelings but that he is falling in love with Jaskier. They spend some very enjoyable weeks at the keep with different visitors and were quite sappy.

Geralt couldn't breathe. He felt like a runespore had strangled him, as if a troll was sitting on his chest and he wanted to scream, scream but he couldn't. It was too much, it was too quiet. He'd always known this day would come, always known he'd not be able to keep this. But he had hoped, how stupidly he had hoped. It had taken him ages to fully accept this feeling. To leave space in his life for someone else. Seeing that space taken by someone so bright and cheerful had warmed something in him he'd long since thought lost. To know they were married and could be happy, to know this would maybe last longer than the initial excitement and sexual attraction they undoubtedly shared, had made his too slow heart flutter. 

But love wasn't for witchers, especially not scary and grumpy ones who couldn't voice their emotions if they tried. Emotions he had. But showing them, talking about them, had never been easy for him. And now it caught up. His whole life had been shaped for a purpose and him trying to break free from it, to be happy, he should have known it'd explode in his face. Even in this new world they were still the same old relics. Tools to fight monsters, halfway monsters themselves, not husbands, not lovers or beloved.

The bed was cold, Jaskier had managed to get out without waking him up. His keen senses not stirring anymore when the bard walked about, long since accustomed to his puttering and humming. His smell still clung to the sheets and to Geralt's clothes as well. Just his luck that he had clean clothes that smelled like the companion he'd just lost. He would think about Jaskier for days, but smelling him, turning around, thinking he was at his back when it was just his collar smelling like honey, pine and happiness. That would be a special kind of pain. 

But washing them, losing the last part he had of his bard, was not something he could even think about right now.  
Ripping the pain off like a bandaid, cleanly separating their lives would be easier for him. But Geralt had never been a man to make life easy for himself. 

He shook his head and got up. The sun had barely risen and it was time to go. Jaskier and he had come back from a dragon hunt, where Geralt had said things to him he had regretted instantly, running after the bard as soon as he noticed he was gone, apologizing as good as he could, asking Jaskier not to go. And the bard had agreed. Had stayed. Dinner had been a subdued affair, Jaskier unusually quiet but Geralt had assumed he was healing and gave him time and also some of his Ale. 

They had gone to bed, not yet talking about what had happened on that mountain. How they had even gotten in this mess, Geralt still wasn't entirely sure. They'd met Borch by accident during a contract for a basilisk and decided that joining the dragon hunt might give them a chance to protect it. Geralt had fallen a tiny bit more for his husband when Jaskier had loudly proclaimed that it would be a crime to kill something as majestic as a dragon. 

The trek had been mostly annoying, especially once they'd met up with Yennefer but overall it had gone well and easy enough. Geralt had grit his teeth and tried to ignore the invisible feeling of guilt gnawing at him, binding him to this sorceress, hoping this mistake would finally stop haunting him. But Jaskier had noticed and been tense and quiet for days. 

And then it all had exploded. He'd asked Yennefer to stop following, that there was no djinn and no love to be found and the sorceress had yelled at him about taking away her choices, that she didn't believe him.  
Jaskier had tried to help him and Geralt had thanked him by yelling at him, demanding to be left alone for once, that choosing to get married was a mistake and they should have never agreed to it. In summary, all of his worst fear of abandonment had come to the surface after seeing Borch die, after seeing Jaskier almost fall down after them and he had voiced them in the worst way possible. 

And now he was here. Alone. In a cold tavern bedroom. His husband and his lute gone. He hid his face behind his hands, trying to block out the world for just one more minute, pretending things were going to be okay. 

His body felt heavy and his head hurt when Geralt was finally able to get up. His things packed, he left the tavern and the foot of the mountain for good. 

The days alone were bleak. The food tasted less and the woods were too quiet without the warm presence of Jaskier at his side. Geralt traveled big streets and stayed longer than necessary in towns, hoping to hear about a bard singing about witchers. People looked at him strangely, no longer used to see a witcher traveling alone and without goal. 

When a Striga almost sliced his thigh apart, he decided it was time to go back to Kaer Leth. Several days later, his hair grey and cheeks gaunt, he arrived at his second home. The one he had no right to anymore. Had thrown away together with his husband and happiness. But his brothers were there and he was expected to come back. 

Opening the door, he could smell fresh bread and sword oil. And honey and pine? He shook his head, surely it must be some leftover scent of the keep but it was too strong to be weeks old.  
He stormed into the kitchen and felt his knees buckle when a bard with too blue eyes sat with a lute on his knees, entertaining the cook. 

"Jaskier." he whispered reverently, heart beating. He felt like he was facing a griffin and not a person. But this person could hurt him a lot easier than any monster.  
"Geralt." The music stopped and the cook had the sudden idea to leave the kitchen without a word, bread forgotten in the oven.  
"You were gone, I looked for you. Are you.. Are you alright?"  
Blue eyes looked above his shoulder, not meeting his eyes, "Physically? Yes, I'm quite alright." A few discordant notes filled the kitchen. Fingers moving just to move. And Geralt's breath hitched, seeing the expression in the face before him. "I didn't mean it. None of it."

"What did you not mean? You have to be more clear! That you never wanted to marry me? I'm quite aware but thank you for reminding me so clearly! That you don't love me? I apologize for ever assuming you could, for believing your lies! And as this is my house, I would now ask you to listen to your own wish and take yourself away from my oh so oppressive presence!" the bard exploded, grabbing his lute too hard, jumping from the bench, blue flames meeting his amber eyes with hot rage. 

Geralt had no words, didn't know how to express what he felt. The crushing guilt, the love and trust and fear to lose it all and be alone again. He felt his mouth gape, his eyes prick uncomfortably and slowly backed away. "I do love you." he whispered, before he left the kitchen, packing his things and leaving the house. Fully aware every single witcher had heard the outburst.


	2. Chapter 2

Vesemir was at Kaer Morhen and Geralt knew if the alliance with this small part of Kerack and their new house in the lands of Lettenhove was endangered, he'd have to tell him. He'd have to admit it had been his fault. That he took everything they worked so hard on and threw it down a mountain. Not only this alliance but also their new way of life. 

Witchers had never been off better, less injuries, better coin and they saw each other more often than once a year now. All was thanks to Kaer Leth and their easier reach through the continent. Even Viper and Cat witchers had stayed there now and then, slowly come to adopt their new ways. Cats had always traveled in groups and Vipers saw an opportunity for what it was. 

His life was bleaker now. No music, no chatter that used to drive him up the walls, no shared food, no companion. People were used to witchers not being alone anymore, after more than a year of them having changed their ways and that Geralt was viewed an aberration once again felt like a stab in the chest every time an innkeeper asked if he'd need two beds or a weapon smith offered to repair a second set of weapons for half the price. 

Weeks passed and Geralt had reached the blue mountains. The village he had once come through every winter was livelier than ever and people greeted him without a hint of fear. These villagers had long been used to witchers and knew most of their trades were with them. Now that more witchers moved around the blue mountains they learned fast being polite would make their purses grow. 

It was still summer and the sun beat down on Geralt. Any normal person would have to fear serious sunburn and heatstroke but he barely felt it, still caught in his mind. His hair was grey and lumpy and he could feel his armor itch where he hadn't cleaned it properly, his stomach had long since given up to complain about the sudden change in nutrition. 

At the keep Vesemir was already waiting for him, face thunderous. Geralt barely managed to put down his belongings before an angry grey haired witcher approached him. "Why the everloving fuck do I have a bailiff from the duke of Kerack sitting in my keep, stammering about contract penances because we failed to uphold part of it? What did you do?!" Geralt wanted to defend himself, to say he didn't do anything and still fought monsters to keep the lands safe. Just because the 4th child of the earl of Lettenhove wasn't happy with him, did not mean they had failed to do their duty. 

But he could barely open his mouth before Vesemir continued. "Your empty white haired head was there when we clearly wrote down that the witchers, and we meant every single witcher!, would not slander the house of Lettenhove! That you'd respect each other wherever you went together! Shouting on top of a mountain, in hearing range of a king and several dwarves from different kingdoms is not respecting each other! Asking loudly for the annulment of this stupid contract because the Viscount of Lettenhove has given you nothing but grief is not upkeeping their name!" the older witcher huffed and stalked away before Geralt could defend himself, presumably to deal with said bailiff, clearly having said his part. 

Geralt's heart broke a little more. His outbreak, his one mistake had done so much harm to their whole order. The Lettenhoves had been the first to actually recognize them, to deal with them as equals or close to it. True, the earl and his whole line were known for being "eccentric", which just meant they'd always had elfen blood in their family tree and never hidden it but were rich enough for people to ignore it as long a study kept away from royal courts. And Geralt had thrown this first success into their face. 

He hid in his rooms for hours until Vesemir knocked at his door. "This is Bryce Cromwell, bailiff of the Duke of Kerack and he'll tell you how to proceed. You will listen to him or else I'll make you run the killer for a week."   
A short man entered his room, he looked like he'd lost all color until only pale browns remained. His clothes were clearly expensive but just about the opposite of what Geralt had come to expect of anyone working for a noble. Brown hair that started turning grey rounded the whole picture. 

"Master witcher," the small man started, he smelled nervous but Geralt couldn't tell from the way he moved. Grey eyes looked directly into his. "it has come to our attention that you broke paragraph 3 subsection 4 of the treaty between the order of the witchers of the wolf school and the earl of Lettenhove by defaming his fourth son openly and in the vicinity of nobility not belonging to either family of the contracting parties. Furthermore you left the area of Lettenhove before the agreed on time of paragraph 5 and left the Viscount of Lettenhove without a guard in a hostile environment. We have seen this as endangerment of the Viscount of Lettenhove and therefore decreed it to be a form of violence. Due to this behavior and paragraph 3 subsection 2 of the before mentioned contract, we have to regrettably enact the penalty clause. Should you not return to the Lettenhove grounds you have been entrusted with and fail to further uphold the contract between your order and the earl of Lettenhove, your order will have to uphold the entirety of the granted keep without any aid of Lettenhove and furthermore hunt any monsters in the whole of Kerack free of charge." 

Geralt was sure the small man hadn't taken a breath even once during his speech. "As has also come to our attention, you have expressed the wish to annull the marriage and thus the entire contract. Should this wish be followed by your order, we want to remind you of paragraph 1 subsection 2, in which you stated that any annulment had to be executed with mutual consent or the penalty clause would once again have to be enacted. With the additional fee of 1000 gold to be paid for the benefit of the earl of Lettenhove."

The witcher could feel his head swimming, he could barely remember agreeing to all the paragraphs and now they were thrown at him. He'd much rather fight drowners again.  
"Master Cromwell?" he continued as the small man nodded attentively, "what do I have to do? To fix this?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this was basically the chapter I was so excited about. If you ever wondered what kind of person I am, Master Cromwell is who I aspire to be one day.   
> The downside to being so excited that I couldn't wait to post is that I don't have a backlog anymore, so please be patient with me.


	3. Chapter 3

Geralt had talked to the bailiff for several hours. They argued about ways to solve this, how they could avoid paying any kind of penalty and what declaration would need to be made openly. He hated it, hated that his outbreak had consequences for people who had done nothing wrong, for his family. They might not only have to work for free but also loose any standing they have acquired should the penalty clause be actually enacted. 

It took another day to find a compromise that would not endanger their order and be only a little mortifying for Geralt.   
"I refuse to speak on a royal banquet I hosted for the sole reason to apologize!" Geralt had shouted at the small man who had just stared at him unflinching, "Well, you will have to apologize publicly in some way, master witcher." Geralt had to concede that point, they decided it'd be amiable for all parties if Jaskier and Geralt went to a banquet together, showing clearly they had made up and were adhering to all terms of the contract with a public letter to the Duke. But it all depended on Jaskier in the end. If he accepted a private apology and a public one, if he forgave Geralt and was willing to write an open letter to the Duke of Kerack, stating they had a small spat that had no further consequences. Geralt hoped not only for his family that Jaskier would accept this. He missed the man more dearly than he'd ever imagined. 

If Jaskier was not willing to do this, not willing to forgive Geralt's outbreak, he was quite frankly, fucked. The contract clearly stated what penalty they had to pay for defamation and endangerment. His brothers would work free of charge for the whole of Lettenhove and surroundings for years, the keep would no longer be stocked with servants from Lettenhove and most likely no other noble family would ever again enter negotiations with them. They would be back to square one. 

Sure, their order had been working differently before all this and they could do so again. Demanding better work conditions, to work only for official contracts and not to travel through the lands without a goal, had made many people mad and they would surely try to use this as an example why witchers could never be trusted as an equal contracting party. 

Geralt swallowed the bile down forming in his throat. He had messed up even more than usual this time. He packed his things after just two days at Kaer Morhen, Vesemir and Master Cromwell accompanying him, leaving the old keep in the hands of human warriors that had started to train there, to accompany witchers and gain their first experiences as a mercenary and a few witchers from the school of the griffin that had recently visited. Vesemir just hoped they wouldn't blow the keep up. 

Traveling back was easy, nobody troubled two witchers on a mission. And for some reason even fewer people were willing to trouble Master Cromwell. Every noble who saw the small colorless man gasped and offered them a place for the night. Only a month after Jaskier had thrown Geralt out, they stepped through the gates again. 

\---

During that time in Kaer Leth:  
Jaskier had been at the keep for several days already before Geralt had arrived. While he had been mostly numb on his long way home, he was anything but now. After a short explanation to everyone that they had parted ways and that Geralt was fine and would come later, he had cried until his head felt like it was splitting, had drunken himself to sleep and gotten the same result in the morning, had moped and avoided any witcher that was currently residing there. Lambert had seen him on the first day, eyes red and puffy and decided it was absolutely time to leave for his next contract and no, that was not two days early, shut up Eskel. 

Jaskier had been in a haze of sleep deprivation and self pity and barely noticed Lambert's reaction. Eskel had reacted differently and offered him food and tea and apparently told the kitchen staff to serve him something to eat as soon as he broke out the alcohol. It was quite sweet really. On one memorable evening Jaskier had been deep in his cups and when Eskel brought him some snacks and patted him on his arm just once, Jaskier had started sobbing on his shoulder, asking an increasingly uncomfortable witcher why they could not have been married instead.   
After that night Eskel kept a bit more distance as well. 

After 3 days of wallowing in self pity, the anger had taken over. How could Geralt have done that? Shouting at him on top of a mountain, leaving him to wander through the wilderness alone until he found someone willing to accompany him, shoving him away because apparently Jaskier kept him from fulfilling his witcher duties, was a distraction and at fault for several dead people Geralt had not been able to safe in time, Jaskier made him soft and that would kill him. 

He grinded his teeth, anger simmering under his skin red hot. This was the state Geralt met him in. Jaskier couldn't believe the gall of his husband, walking into his home, his kitchen, looking all heartbroken and sad and scruffy. Looking too attractive by far with his unkempt hair and shadow of a beard. A dirt streaked face should not make him want to kiss it. He hated that he couldn't hate this man.   
Jaskier exploded, worse than ever before and before he fully caught up with his mouth Geralt was already turning around, going away, shoulders hanging and head held low. 

Everybody in the keep had heard his outburst, Eskel tried to talk to him but Jaskier was too angry to listen to reason. With a bottle of wine and his lute he left for his room, playing ditties mocking a certain witcher all night. 

The next morning, Eskel sat him down again and told him a bit about Geralt's childhood, how people became witchers, how all of them had been abandoned or sold and the torture they called trials, how many people they'd lost over time. Jaskier's heart broke, he felt their pain. He hugged Eskel and thanked him for trusting him with this, tears in his eyes. 

Later in his room he thought about what Eskel had said. He'd known Geralt was afraid to be abandoned, he knew his husband had agreed to a marriage contract mostly because he liked the idea of someone agreeing to spend their life with him, that he wouldn't be alone even if everything else went to shit. Well, Geralt sure knew how to sabotage himself, Jaskier thought and plinged a discordant note that made him shudder. 

Maybe they could still work this out? They didn't have to be lovers, they could be friends, traveling together. Yes, Jaskier would be fine with that. Perfectly alright. He felt a tear spill down his face. Oh, who was he kidding, he'd been falling fast and hard for Geralt, he'd be miserable being just friends with the man he was married to and had come to feel for. This had not been part of the plan. 

Jaskier took out the wine again, he preferred to stop feeling anything to this. Even the staff had started to avoid him, he didn't know when he last bathed or combed his hair. His clothes were just clean because someone else took care of that, a soft white shirt and brown trousers replacing his old garments every day. He didn't even care that he looked so unassuming, brown matted hair, brown trousers. The music stopped flowing through him and sometimes he wished he'd never met a witcher. 

This all had taken place within maybe two weeks, Jaskier had lost a few days, if he was honest. On a sunny afternoon that had no reason to be still so warm and cheerful, a messenger brought a letter from the Duke of Kerack. It informed him that Bryce Cromwell had been sent to Kaer Morhen to solve the current dispute and find an agreeable solution for all parties. Between the lines Jaskier could clearly see that the Duke hoped the alliance would break. He'd not been happy to hear that the eccentric Lettenhove's had gained some witchers. 

Jaskier swallowed, Cromwell was a well known name. He was known to be fair but ruthless, thankfully Jaskier thought he was impartial enough not to sabotage their bond should it be salvageable. But to know someone who could easily unravel the whole contract, could annull their marriage, was with his husband who sent him away, still hurt. He took a deep breath, squinted into the sun and decided there was nothing to do but wait for them. For they would have to come back, one way or another. No decision could be made without him. 

Heart a bit lighter, maybe because he had decided to accept his current predicament and to act like a noble in a marriage should, he shut his hurt away and waited, asking the cook for his favorite stew tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This should maybe need one or two more chapters to be finished. Can you tell I love Cromwell? :D  
> As always, updates will be a bit slower, as I have no backlog and too many WIPs.   
> If you like my writing, I have recently finished a few other witcher fics.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I´m sorry for the delay, this chapter, as short as it is, fought me tooth and nails.  
> Thanks to unstable_grad for helping me figure it out a bit better. I´m still not entirely satisfied but at this point I either yeet it out or delete the whole thing, so here it is :D
> 
> Edit: This is the same chapter I updated on 31st of october. I realized that I like the ending of the chapter as ending for the whole part much more than I could achieve with a chapter added. I apologize for any confusion.

When Geralt arrived they were greeted like guests, it hurt a bit but Vesemir and Master Cromwell didn't seem to see anything wrong with it. A servant led them to their rooms, Vesemir and Cromwell in the guest wing, Geralt to a room next to the one he had been sharing with Jaskier until that fateful day. He longed to open the door opposite to his, to enter and smell their mingled scents on the bedsheet, see Jaskier wear one of his shirts while tuning his lute and smile at him once he noticed Geralt watching. The witcher shoved all those feelings down, he had no right to expect Jaskier to welcome him anymore.

They had arrived after dinner and Geralt could hear Jaskier through the walls, ached to knock and talk but feared it more than anything at the same time. He unpacked his bags, donned his armor up and cleaned everything, keeping his hands busy so he wouldn't start pacing through the room when he heard a tentative knock at his door. His head shot up, surprised he hadn't noticed anyone approaching when he recognized the sweet scent of his husband.

Geralt almost stumbled over his own feet in his eagerness to open the door, his chestplate cluttering to the floor without a care. Jaskier waited for him at the door, a smile in place but it didn't feel real, his eyes weren't glowing with energy or glinting with snark as usual, they seemed flat and cold, icy ponds that didn't give you a single clue about what their owner felt.

“Jaskier.” he greeted him, trying to sound as soft and welcome as possible, but thought it came out rather breathless and clumsy. “Geralt.” his husband answered and walked through the opened door. He sat down on a chair, waiting for Geralt to do the same without a word or nervous twitch. To see Jaskier so motionless and quiet was utterly unsettling.  
The witcher waited for Jaskier to talk, he must have knocked this late for a reason after all but it seemed he needed a moment.  
His husband looked tired, dark bags under his eyes and his hair was unkempt. Eskel had told him that Jaskier had struggled in the last weeks but Geralt only now realized that he´d hurt the man much more than he had ever thought possible. His chest felt heavy, something breaking at the thought that in his sudden fit of anger, in his endless self flagellation, he had hurt the one good thing life had blessed him with.

Blue eyes finally looked up and met his, they still hid every emotion tightly behind steel bars. “Geralt,” Jaskier started again, “I have come to hear you talked with Master Cromwell.” Geralt nodded, still wondering who exactly this bailiff was for everyone to know him. “Did you come to an agreeable solution for all parties involved how to continue with our current arrangement?” the bard asked, voice even and slow, no emotion visible on his beautiful face. He acted like a puppet, something in Geralt's chest lurched violently at seeing his human so broken.

Jaskier waited, looking at him with a curious expression that betrayed nothing of which outcome he wished for. “We-” Geralt stopped, he took a deep breath, settling himself. It seemed Jaskier had decided they´d talk about this like it was a business transaction and he couldn´t fault him for it. Geralt had certainly treated it like it was nothing more dear to him.  
He started again, “I have talked to Vesemir and Master Cromwell. Both have washed my head quite thoroughly.” Geralt tried to smile but Jaskier still refused to show any emotions and nodded. He could feel his heart beating like a rabbit´s, could hear Jaskier´s heart beating faster than normal as well, could smell the unhappiness radiating off his husband, who was so intent on not showing any of it.

“There are two options, we can call everything off, can say I violated the contract terms, Lettenhove will gain the service of the wolf witchers for years to come.” Blue eyes met his and Geralt could smell the fear in the air, was Jaskier afraid of this option or that Geralt wouldn't want to choose it?  
“Or, and I can't stress how much more I would prefer this option, we could try and talk it out.” Geralt tried to meet Jaskier´s eyes, tried to show him how serious he was with that desire, how much he wanted to make amends, to repair what had been broken. His husband's shoulders seemed to relax and an undignified snort escaped him. It was not a happy sound rather mocking, but Geralt would take anything that was not passive callousness at this moment. “Talk? You? Sure.” Jaskier said, seemingly surprised himself by the short outbreak.

Honey, pine and salt permeated the air and Geralt knew his husband had cracked. He hoped the crack meant they would talk and not that he had shattered what goodwill had been left in Jasker´s heart.

"Jaskier, I'm… I'm sorry. I said things I shouldn't have, blamed you for things that were my fault." Geralt had thought a lot about what to say and maybe made a list on the way back. "I am very happy that it was you who agreed to be part of the contract and I would be honored if we could try to become a true couple again."  
Geralt watched his husband's expression, trying to gouge if Jaskier would give him another chance.  
"You have become very dear to me in a very short time and it scared me. I was sure it'd end in shambles and pushed you away before you could hurt me. I took away your choice and replaced them with my fears." He bowed his head and waited for a reaction. When none came, Geralt tentatively looked up at watery blue eyes.  
A single tear escaped Jaskier's eye and he took Geralt's outstretched hand. 

"Do you know how much you've hurt me on that mountain? How hard I tried to trust you again after Rinde, how much I worked on myself so my insecurities wouldn't color all our interactions? Because I'm afraid of this as well Geralt! You're not the only one who's risking his heart! You pushed me away once, Geralt and promised me you would talk to me. You promised me honesty. Bottling up all of your feelings and lashing out is not that." Tears streamed down Jaskier's face but he ignored them, staring at Geralt in defiance. The witcher felt like someone had punched him in the guts. 

"You know, if you ever say something like on that mountain to me again, I can and I will set your gear on fire and then tell Vesemir what you did." Blue eyes rimmed red pinned him to his chair but a small smile played on Jaskier's lips. Geralt felt like his shoulders just lost a weight he hadn't even known he was carrying. He squeezed Jaskier's fingers gently and took his hand to press a small kiss on every knuckle.  
"I'll try my best to be honest with you from now one, darling." Jaskier's eyes widened at the pet name, Geralt hadn't used any of these kinds yet. "That's all I demand." Jaskier whispered and smiled at his husband. It was watery and uncertain but it was there and Geralt smiled back, hoping with time they'd heal together again.  
They didn't let go of each other's hands for a long time after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I´ve come to realize that working without a backlog doesn´t suit me, so it´ll probably take some time until the next part is added. But it is in planning, we´ll meet Ciri soon.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been so excited about posting this. Chapter 2 is already finished as well and I had a blast writing it.


End file.
